Synopses & Reviews
Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights, declared Olympe de Gouges in 1791. Throughout the French Revolution, women, inspired by a longing for liberty and equality, played a vital role in stoking the fervor and idealism of those years. In her compelling history of the Revolution, Lucy Moore paints a vivid portrait of six extraordinary women who risked everything for the chance to exercise their ambition and make their mark on history.
At the heart of Paris's intellectual movement, Germaine de Stael was a figure like no other. Passionate, fiercely intelligent and as consumed by love affairs as she was by politics, she helped write the 1791 Constitution at the salon in which she entertained the great thinkers of the age. At the other end of the social scale, her working-class counterparts patrolled the streets of Paris with pistols in their belts. Theroigne de Mericourt was an unhappy courtesan when she fell in love with revolutionary ideals. Denied a political role because of her sex, she nevertheless campaigned tirelessly until a mob beating left her broken in both mind and body. Later came the glittering merveilleuses, whose glamour, beauty and propensity for revealing outfits propelled them to the top of post-revolutionary society. Exuberant, decadent Theresia Tallien reportedly helped engineer Robespierre's downfall. In so doing, she and her fellow sans-chemises ushered in a new world that combined sexual license with the amorality of the new Republic.
Review
“A fresh history . . . riveting and revelatory. Booklist (starred review)
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“Fascinating… an absorbing portrait…She successfully contextualizes each of her subjects within a cultural framework-no small feat.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Engrossing and highly readable . . . Moore makes this much more than a collective biography . . . fascinating.” Library Journal
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“A lively new work by a talented young English historian.” Washington Times
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“Marvelous.” Judith Warner, New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
Perhaps the primary symbol of the French Revolution is that of Liberty, depicted as a female figure. Flesh and blood women, however, were less idealized: France's first constitutional government did not allow them to vote or hold office, and 65 percent of women at the time could not even sign their own names. But despite their low status, women were enthusiastic, if often overlooked participants in the ongoing political and social changes.
In Liberty, Lucy Moore celebrates six remarkable women who were active participants in the Revolution. They represent all strata of society, from the intellectual Germaine de Sta l, who was one of the richest women in Europe and helped draft the 1791 Constitution, to courtesan Theroigne de Mericourt, who campaigned tirelessly for revolutionary ideals until a mob beating left her broken in both body and mind. Liberty is a fascinating book that highlights an often neglected aspect of this critical moment in history.
Lucy Moore was educated in Britain and the United States. She is the author of several books, including the critically acclaimed Maharanis. She lives in London.
"Marvelous." -- Judith Warner, New York Times Book Review
--Washington Times
Synopsis
From one of the most exciting young historians at work today, the story of the French Revolution told through the lives of six remarkable women from different strata of French society. 16-page color insert.
Synopsis
The ideals of the French Revolution inflamed a longing for liberty and equality within courageous, freethinking women of the era—women who played vital roles in the momentous events that reshaped their nation and the world. In
Liberty, Lucy Moore paints a vivid portrait of six extraordinary Frenchwomen from vastly different social and economic backgrounds who helped stoke the fervor and idealism of those years, and who risked everything to make their mark on history.
Germaine de Staël was a wealthy, passionate Parisian intellectual—as consumed by love affairs as she was by politics—who helped write the 1791 Constitution. Théroigne de Méricourt was an unhappy courtesan who fell in love with revolutionary ideals. Exuberant, decadent Thérésia Tallien was a ruthless manipulator instrumental in engineering Robespierre's downfall. Their stories and others provide a fascinating new perspective on one of history's most turbulent epochs.
About the Author
Lucy Moore was born in 1970 and educated in Britain and the United States before reading history at Edinburgh University. She is the author of several books, including the critically acclaimed Maharanis. She lives in London.